“The farther you go wrong, the harder it is to get back on track”
C. S. Lewis
So let’s begin our project journey with a purpose. We have been given a project to transport 100 special guests to the wedding of the year by train. We know the starting point is London, and the destination, Edinburgh, the wedding venue and the hotels that the guests will stay in, and that is all for the time being.
However, this isn’t just any journey – it must arrive on time, comfortably, and with everyone accounted for. The goal is not simply to travel, but to deliver a very specific outcome at a defined moment in time.
That outcome – on-time arrival with 100 guests for the wedding – is our “project objective”. It shapes every other decision, including:
- Which route will we take?
- What kind of train will we need?
- What’s the plan for fuel?
- Who are the crew, and how many do we need?
- What cannot go wrong?
This is part of our “requirements definition” – it is at the heart of sound planning.
When teams skip this step or treat it as a formality, they end up drifting. Deliverables become disconnected. Stakeholders grow frustrated. And just like Alice, they find themselves lost in a maze of choices.
So before you board the train, ask yourself and your team: What is the destination? Why are we taking this journey? And what must be true at the end for us to say we succeeded?
Next time on The Pieces Fit …
Even with a timetable, misalignment between stakeholders can send you miles off course…
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